With a long history soul-feeding, eardrum-rupturing hits, you might know NEEDTOBREATHE as a “Christian rock” band—and that’s cool with frontman Bear Rinehart. Just be careful how you say it.
Formed in South Carolina in 2001, the band’s brand has long been anthemic rock with uplifting themes and Rinehart’s distinctive, awe-inspiring vocals. With five Number One albums and two billion career streams to their credit, their songs have indeed been spiritual enough to often place high on Billboard’s Contemporary Christian chart. But while they’re proud of their faith, they’ve always had a broader view of their mission.
“The thing that always annoyed us about it was there’s a stigma around what Christian
